On Thursday night, the Denver Nuggets played the Minnesota Timberwolves and they barely escaped with a 102-99 victory. Going into the third quarter, the Nuggets led 88-75 but were outscored in the 4th, 21-14. Luckily for the Nuggets, the Wolves missed a three pointer at the end of regulation.

Small Forwards, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler led all Nuggets in scoring with 19 points each while Center, Jusuf Nurkic added 18 and 5 boards. Coming off the bench, veteran point guard, Jameer Nelson, dished out 7 assists and poured in 14 points on 5-10 shooting. Starting shooting guard, Jamal Murray, really struggled from the field going 0-8 and finishing with 0 points in 29 minutes. Overall, the Nuggets played a sloppy game but they limited the Wolves to 39% shooting and forced 16 turnovers. The Nuggets also outrebounded Minnesota 37-29. The Nuggets will return the same starting lineup against the Pistons. Today the Nuggets play one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons.

Led by All-Star, Andre Drummond, the Pistons look to bounce back at home. In order for the Pistons to emerge victorious Drummond must play a lot better than last game. Last game Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy benched Dre because of his energy levels. Stan stated, “We gave him the first half and the first seven minutes in the second half, and he was just, in my opinion, bringing absolutely nothing to the game,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t know if he was tired or what the deal was, but he didn’t bring any energy to the game.”

It is no secret that Denver’s strength is their frontcourt. This is why Drummond’s energy levels are crucial today if wants he wants to box out guys such as Kenneth Faried, Jusuf Nurkic, and Nikola Jokic. In order to win this game, we must control the boards.

SVG on Nuggets: "We've struggled with teams like this, they're an attacking team…Their assaults on the rim are really the challenge."

Overall, the Denver Nuggets, coached by Mike Malone, run one of the fastest offensives in the league (4th in pace) while balancing a quality defensive team (8th in defensive rating).

Shooting guard, Will Barton leads all Nuggets in scoring with 18 points per game but unfortunately he will not play against the Pistons because of a sprained left ankle. However, shooting guard Gary Harris is expected to play in today’s game.

Surprise, surprise: #Nuggets G Gary Harris is AVAILABLE to play tonight vs. Detroit. Went through shootaround and had a session yesterday